Page 183 - The Griffon's Saddlebag - Book One [Compressed] (1)

THE FESTERWOOD filled in a previously exposed sink hole. Similarly, various
flat areas will abruptly drop into an earthen pit.
y Emphasize how repetitive the trees become over time.
The Festerwood is a large, underground forest ecosystem While there are an enormously large number of varieties
that is miraculously self-sustaining through its frequent of fungi and underbrush, the innumerable festerwood
natural cycles of life and death. Flora in the Festerwood is trees are very nearly identical to one. Navigating the
largely devoid of color, relying on hardiness and slow growth Festerwood is very difficult for inexperienced travelers
to survive. Color makes for a prime target in this otherwise because of the scarcity of prominent landmarks.
gray landscape. When a tree dies, it is quickly reborn as a y Because of the tight spaces created by the crowding trees
host of mushrooms and loamy soil. The entirety of the forest and fierce underbrush, the Festerwood promises numer-
floor of the Festerwood is soft and spongy: the result of many ous hidden areas and sudden chance discoveries. For that
life cycles of growth and decay. same reason, when creatures are hunting or hungry, they
The bountiful array of fungus growing in the Festerwood is thrive on ambush.
matched only by its population of beetles and other insects.
Swarms of insects plague the forest, devouring the most LIGHT IN THE FESTERWOOD
easily available nutrients before moving on.
The Festerwood is unsettling, to say the least. Many
strange plants and insects thrive in this forest, feasting on At the center of the Festerwood is the Lightspore: a colos-
those foolish enough to cross into it. Despite that, some in- sal, glowing mushroom that drives the natural order of the
telligent creatures have made this place their home, and may wood. Although sunlight evades the Festerwood, the Light-
have interesting rewards, requests, or stories for your players spore provides its own perpetual bioluminescence. The light
to experience. fluctuates in a repeating cycle of dim light and near darkness.
Each cycle of light takes place over 8 hours. At its brightest,
the Lightspore covers the entire Festerwood in a twilight
AMBIENT MOOD of blue and purple light, but when it’s darkened, the light
cast by the mushroom is merely reminiscent of a partially
cloud-covered moon.
The air is damp and stale, filled with the scent of mildew.
While there is no breeze here underground, the slow move-
ment of cool air replacing the warm air of the surface brings THE LIGHTSPORE
some small comfort. Trees creak as if their branches ache,
echoing discordantly throughout the wood. Yellow, slowly At the base of its stalk, the Lightspore’s light is considered
pulsing ambient light peaks though the forest as small clus- bright light during its light cycle, and dim when it’s dark-
ters of strange knots made from an amber-looking substance ened. The area surrounding the mushroom is devoid of other
break through the trees’ barked exterior. The soil is loamy plantlife in a 1,000-foot radius around its gargantuan base.
and soft, but oily to the touch and perpetually fetid. Small If you choose to include a town in the Festerwood for your
pools and trickles of water can be found, although their campaign, this may be an ideal location for it—depending
origin and quality are always questionable. on the inhabitants you choose to place there. See the Settle-
ments segment later in this document for more insights into
y The Festerwood is typically quiet, as the sounds of walk- what type of creatures might call this place home.
ing feet are muffled by the soft ground. The only discor- The Lightspore’s stalk is roughly 750 feet in diameter at
dance breaking through the silence are the echoes of ground level. The cavernous cap of the great mushroom
creaking wood and the thrumming of insect swarms. extends roughly 1,250 feet out from its base, totaling almost
y Play up the closeness of the trees. Despite being under- three quarters of a mile across from edge to edge. With a
ground, festerwood trees have unusually thick trunks and texture almost like marble, both cap and stalk emit an iden-
grow very close together. A variety of small to middling tical fluctuating glow of magenta, blue, and purple light. Its
flora and fungi grow in the few openings between fallen flesh is a pale blue, but due to its size, no other discernible
tree branches and occasional gaps in the trees. features have been found.
y Fungus grows on almost everything here. Only on very
rare occasions is it safe to eat. An exceptionally skilled
survivalist, cook, or herbalist can attempt to identify and DANGEROUS SPORES
forage for edible varieties. Use sensory language about
the smell, texture, and color of these varieties. The spores that drift from the Lightspore are toxic. Many
y At the center of the Festerwood, an enormous, glowing creatures native to the Festerwood developed a resistance to
mushroom called the Lightspore sheds dim light across their harmful effects centuries ago, making surface-dwelling
the forest. While adventuring, a party will likely use that visitors the easiest to fall victim.
as their main landmark. When a creature is subjected to enough of these spores,
y The temperature is constant due to the Festerwood’s they become a shambling husk of their former self. These
placement underground. Combined with the strange, husks become relentlessly driven to slowly migrate toward
ambient light sources within the forest, this makes it the Lightspore, ignoring calls to sleep or eat until they have
very difficult for a creature to tell what time it is or how reached the foot of the mighty fungus. The details on spore-
long they’ve been inside the forest. husks are found at the end of this section.
y Some patches of earth dip downward suddenly, having

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PART III SETTING OPTIONS